Posts from Mercenaries

Name: Mercenaries (Mercenaries)
Size: large (136x136), with dungeon
Type: scenario
Overall Difficulty: expert
Players: 1/4
Game Version: Tribes of the East 3.0(3.1)
Current Map Version: 1.3.2
Author: Franzy
Author Contacts: franzy@hotbox.ru
The attached archive contains Russian and English versions!


Installation

1. Copy the file to the game's Maps directory. If such a folder does not exist, create it.
2. In the main menu, select "Single Player", then "Scenarios", and choose the desired map from the list.

Note: although the map changes many aspects of the game and may seem like a mod, it is not one! This map does not modify the game files in any way, so it is fully compatible with other maps and most mods.
This map contains a significant amount of text (over 400 kb), so it is recommended to use some mod that increases the size of the text message window for greater reading convenience.
Actually, reading all the texts is not strictly necessary, but if you want to understand what is happening, you definitely should not ignore the messages! Keep in mind that only one language version can be installed on the computer at a time. You cannot install multiple versions even by renaming the files. But do not worry about this - except for the message output language, all language versions are completely identical!

From the Author

In all versions of "Heroes", one thing always disappointed me: on any map, after some time, the player accumulates such a large army that all battles turn into some kind of slaughter of infants. The player is able to accumulate arbitrarily powerful armies because they do not need to pay for their upkeep. And this is a serious balance problem that cannot be solved within the standard rules of "Heroes". So I decided to make a map where the player would have to pay for troop maintenance. This will force players to limit the size of their army and rely not on brute force, but on tactics and the ability to win with small numbers.
This scenario has a distinct RPG format, which features a non-linear plot with several ending options.

More than 25 long, multi-stage, and challenging quests await you, as well as some rules new to the world of heroes. All of this is created with taste and a touch of humor to make the adventure truly enjoyable. Moreover, an easter egg awaits you on the map - a riddle that is not mandatory to solve, but it gives you the opportunity to show your ingenuity and receive a reward:)

Scenario Feature:

You will play as a dwarf hero who travels to a distant land in search of lost relics. He will have a small army, but no town where he could recruit new troops (except for levels 1-2). To win, you will have to rely on local mercenaries (troops from other towns). While same-race dwarf troops are free, mercenaries require a daily fee, which is 10-30% of their recruitment cost. (Exact numbers can be found in the attached "merc_fee.txt" file.) So you will always have to balance the size of your army with your current income.
There is almost no fuss with building towns on the map, so you can fully focus on role-playing, quests, and tactical battles. By the way, some battles may seem impossible (for example, how do you defeat a crowd of several hundred Ents?). But I assure you, all battles can be won using the right tactics, necessary skills, and appropriate spells/creature abilities. These battles are a challenge to your tactical genius and are usually very generously rewarded.
As for role-playing, your hero will have two additional parameters (they will not be visible to you until a certain point in the game): Alignment and Fame.

"Alignment" determines your inclination toward Light (good) and Darkness (evil). By committing evil, selfish, greedy, and wicked acts, you earn Dark points. Noble, kind, altruistic, and honest acts bring Light points. Alignment affects many things in the game, but primarily how it ends.
"Fame" shows how well-known you are in the land where fate has brought you. You earn Fame points by winning battles, leveling up, and completing quests. Many quests become available only upon reaching a certain level of fame (though usually, quests have other requirements as well).
You start the game with zero Fame and neutral Alignment.
Keep in mind that most objects on the map have a completely different function than usual. Right-click them to find out their new name and purpose.

Features

- A detailed world with its own history and secrets for you to uncover
- Nearly 7000 lines of scripts that make the world of "Heroes" much more alive and interesting!
- Non-linear plot with several ending options
- More than 25 long and complex quests (not just "bring this" or "kill that", but full multi-stage adventures, like in the best examples of the RPG genre)
- New rules that change the game balance
- Over 400 kb of text seasoned with a touch of humor, turning your favorite strategy into a real role-playing game.

P.S. Yes, there is a puzzle on the map, as always on my maps. However, this time it is completely optional, and solving it is not mandatory at all. But if you want to get a rare artifact - definitely try :)


Version History:

0.9 - English beta version.

1.0 - New objects and a mini-quest with enchantments added.
- The fort on the hill can now change creature upgrades
- Some visual effects added
- Creature pay rebalanced. Archers and mages are expensive, melee
fighters (cannon fodder) are cheaper.
- Starting money increased.
- Khaegar periodically sends reinforcements.
- Another mine added in the tunnels.
- More low-level troops and some unguarded resources added near
the starting area.
- Many bugs and typos in texts fixed.
- Other minor changes.

1.01 - Fixed bug with clerics in the sailor's wife quest (they didn't take experience)

1.05 - Fixed bug with building order in the fortress (tavern was skipped)
(thanks to Mystic Phoenix)
- Fixed bug with easy difficulty - the game was unbeatable on it due to script errors.
(thanks to Marianne)

1.2 - Mercenary pay now depends on the difficulty level.
- Mercenary pay now periodically increases (more often on high difficulty levels).
- Fixed bug with the slave trader guild
(thanks to Mystic Phoenix)
- Fixed bugs with non-working enchantments
(thanks to Wimfrits)
- Small improvements implemented as suggested by Wimfrits,
as well as many typos found by him. Thanks twice, Wimfrits! :)
- Alignment rebalanced. Now becoming a Champion of Light is much harder.
Don't forget to periodically donate gold to the poor to earn Light points!
- The hero can no longer carry more than 100 000 gold.
- Restoring the fortress has become harder.
- Slave trading rebalanced.

1.3 - Bugs introduced by previous fixes corrected (thanks to akalin423, nikk)
- Balance tweaked.
- Fast-growing armies no longer block any key points on the main storyline.
- Combat script reworked.
- Score counting system added (for tournaments)
- Arrival of reinforcement caravans is now shown only once (thanks to Ogo-i for the idea)
- War machines now also require gold for maintenance, and the price increases along
with skills that strengthen war machines! Also, it's now possible to leave
war machines in the fortress temporarily.
- The game can now be started with a "clean" hero (without preset skills)

1.31 - Fixed bug with storing machines in the fortress (thanks to Mystic Phoenix)

1.32 - Added auto-save on the first day (for tournaments).
- Finally, the game is available in German! Thanks for the translation, Mystic Phoenix!
- A mod by King_MB that increases the text window size is now included with the game
(optional to use, but recommended).

Credits:

Idea, design, scripting, texts, basic testing - Franzy
German translation - Mystic Phoenix
Russian translation - Praetor & Honter, edited by Franzy
(warning, typos may still exist :))
Large Message Box mod - King_MB

Thanks to colleagues from the AG.ru forum for their contribution to the map's creation: Alexoff, EyeGem, Honter, Ogo-i, Valex and others.
Special respect to the developers of SciTE editor - I don't know a more convenient editor for writing scripts!
Your name could be here too - I just love receiving emails with suggestions and bug reports!

What does "and others" mean? I also tested it. It's a good map, very good. But it's challenging. If you're not fluent in English, play in Russian, because you won't understand anything. And also, if you use a mod to increase the text size, you might encounter scrolling issues. But that's not guaranteed. If you delete all maps from the map folder, it should work fine.

elizbar1967, if you post a screenshot of your victory during the walkthrough, I will add you to the map description.

The map is SUPER!!!
It has so many dialogues and interesting, well-thought-out quests!!!
I finished it in a couple of days without stopping, scored 1224 points, and failed a couple of extra quests (the sawmill and the caravan), I was too lazy to replay them.

Walkthrough of the "Mercenaries" scenario: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAGmRiWZLk4&t=31s&list=PLGpNWhdMwySePtgUqYavRNp36DSLU5hmo&index=91

Awesome scenario. Huge respect to the authors!!! One of the best scripted scenarios! The only downside is its instability.

Added 1 minute ago

The map is SUPER!!!
So many dialogues and interesting, well-thought-out quests!!!
I played it non-stop for a couple of days, scored 1224 points, failed a couple of additional quests (lumber mill and caravan), I was too lazy to replay.

I also failed the caravan, but I did it deliberately. I completed the lumber mill!

Question:
Has anyone managed to complete the quest with the assassins' guild?

The idea is that if you complete it, you'll be able to hire assassins and saboteurs who can apply various penalties to enemy heroes, as chosen by the player.

atlant108, the map author replied to my question about how to join the Assassin's Guild 8 years ago. He's not a scripter, so I don't know if what he wrote is feasible now.

The quest with the Assassin's Guild was never implemented because Nival didn't add all the promised functionality in patch 3.1.
After completing a certain "secret" quest for the Assassin's Guild (killing a mage on the island), the player would have the ability to hire assassins and saboteurs who could apply various penalties to enemy heroes at the player's choice (with a certain probability of success). But without a trigger at the beginning of the battle, this idea cannot be implemented. So, the Assassin's Guild is currently only for atmosphere...

Great map and scenario. I just couldn't find the Rune of Flames (where is it? Who has it?).

In a dwarven dungeon with decent defenses.
https://prnt.sc/pwhnfx

Where can I find a mod that expands the text window?

Beordstin, the archive in the first post has been slightly trimmed. I have this one, which includes the Russian version (similar to the one in the first post), the English version, a couple of additional text files with hints, and a mod for a large window (Large Massage Box.h5u).

Beordstin, the archive in the first post has been trimmed. I have this one, which includes the Russian version (similar to the one in the first post), the English version, a couple of additional text files with hints, and a mod for a large window (Large Massage Box.h5u).

Thank you very much! I downloaded this map for the first time from the ogo-i website, and I was sure I had seen a more complete archive somewhere.

Does anyone have Franzy’s contact information? The email address “according to Yandex” doesn’t exist, meaning I couldn’t send a message to franzy@hotbox.

Played through it again. It’s a shame that it’s not possible to contact the author. There are some minor flaws. One of the mines in the dungeon is essentially unguarded, and it’s impossible to approach one of the graves. What’s the point of the puzzle with the pyramids and switches? I simply took the armor right away, and then the fire wall appeared, even though I already had it. There is a mentor.
I took summoning + chaos, but here, light + darkness would have been better. All the tomes of magic are present, as are high-level spells. The castle is almost useless – except perhaps for storing unnecessary troops. There is a lot of running around for the quests. The map itself is very good; the author is simply great. Difficulty – easy.